Baby's Heartbeat

September 11, 2009
I had my appointment on Wednesday. It was at the new facility, close to my work. Even though I called in sick, I still had to make the drive out to that general area. Husband got off of work early, picked me up, and we headed out.

I got there and checked in. They gave me a cup to pee in, so I did that in the bathroom around the corner, then sat and waited to be called.

About twenty minutes after my scheduled appointment I was called in. I asked if my husband could come with me (he'd been able to every other time), and they said they would call him when we were ready. I got my blood pressure taken (normal), and my heart rate and weight. I've gained three pounds since the last time I was weighed. I guess you are supposed to gain about a pound a month during the first trimester, and then about a pound per week during the last two. I think I am right about where I am supposed to be, despite all the vomiting.

After taking my vitals, they sent me into the little room and said they would summon my husband when the nurse was ready. I did not have to change into a gown at this point, so I sat and waited. (During this time, husband thought they might be asking me questions about my safety and the baby's safety, and whether or not everything is fine at home. There was none of that, I just think they didn't have a lot of room in the weighing area. It was pretty tiny. Husband's guess makes sense though, especially for the area we were in.)

Finally the nurse came in. She looked me up on the computer and asked me if I had taken the class. The class? I had no idea what she was talking about. She explained that it's a four hour ordeal where they go over the paperwork and what to expect. I told her I had already filled out the paperwork at my last facility, and a nurse went over it with me. I wasn't sure if that counted. She seemed confused, as was I with her questions. She asked if I'd had my ultrasound yet. I told her I had ultrasounds at every appointment I had attended. Wasn't I getting one there? She told me that they don't do ultrasounds at the facility, and since I was around twenty weeks, I needed to schedule mine at another facility within the next week or so. Sheesh.

She tried to do it on the computer, but for some reason she couldn't so she told me I would be receiving a phone call soon to schedule. So far no phone call.

She left and the nurse practitioner lady came in. She was very pregnant. Husband was called in soon after. She asked if I had any questions, and I asked about some sensations I had been feeling below my ribs. She told me that wasn't normal and that it might be my gallbladder (but that's only on one side, so I don't think she understood), and to get it checked out by my general practitioner. I think it's just my insides and muscles stretching away from that area. I am certainly growing there.

Then I lay down and she spread the gooey stuff on my tummy. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat on the monitor thingy, which was cool. She said it was about 150, and sounded very steady. I was surprised at the way it sounded. I thought it would sound like a regular heart beat; boom-boom, boom-boom. But it sounded more like woosh woosh woosh woosh very quickly. It was cool to hear, but I was disappointed I didn't get an ultrasound. I was really looking forward to getting more pictures! I guess I had been spoiled at the last facility.

After the appointment we went over to Babies R Us and walked around to price things and see what we liked. We played with the strollers to see how easy they were to fold up. I think we picked out the one we will get. We also picked out the car seat, playpen and bassinet. It's nice that husband and I have similar tastes. The only thing we disagreed upon was the bedding and theme for the room. Looking at the options there, it was hard to find something neutral. Plus, it's all really expensive! We looked in the clearance aisle, but there wasn't anything we liked together. Oh well. We didn't buy anything, but we took pictures of the brands we liked so we can shop around for the best deal on them. Basically, any large baby item (crib, dresser, stroller, playpen, etc.) average somewhere around $200 is what I've found. Craigslist is cheaper, so I'm also going to search on there.